Registration Now Open for LitUp 2021!

Mid-Continent Public Library is proud to announce that registration is now open for its fourth-annual LitUp Festival, a free literature and arts festival just for teens. This year’s LitUp will be offered virtually from April 26 through May 5. Headlining LitUp 2021 will be a keynote presentation by New York Times bestselling author Nicola Yoon on Wednesday, April 28, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Yoon has written numerous critically acclaimed young adult novels, including Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star, both of which were later made into major motion pictures.

The award-winning author’s presentation will be followed by an announcement of the winners of the 2021 LitUp Creative Contest. The contest, which takes place annually in the months preceding the festival, offers teens an opportunity to submit their own works in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art. The winners will receive a prize as well as publication in the 2021 LitUp Anthology, which is published by the Library.

On May 1, teens will have the opportunity to attend a variety of virtual LitUp workshops led by an array of accomplished writers and artists, including:

• 10:00 a.m. – Co-Dwelling Poetry, led by poet and essayist Megan Kaminski
• 11:00 a.m. – Podcast Workshop with KCUR Studios, featuring Suzanne Hogan
• 1:00 p.m. – Graphic Viewpoints, featuring illustrator and graphic designer Stephen Weis
• 3:00 p.m. – The Fine Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback, featuring young adult authors Miranda Asebedo, Megan Bannen, and Amanda Sellet

From April 26 to May 5, a special LitUp YouTube playlist of curated author talks will also be available on demand for those who request access at mymcpl.org/LitUp. This playlist will include interviews with:

• Linda Holmes, NPR pop culture correspondent and Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast
• S.J. Kincaid, New York Times bestselling science fiction author (The Insignia Series)
• Ryan North, New York Times bestselling author of Dinosaur Comics and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl

LitUp attendees will also have the chance to win prizes throughout the festival with drawings during each program for boxes of swag, including books, t-shirts, masks, journals, pins, stickers, and more.

More information and registration (required to attend and win prizes) is available at mymcpl.org/LitUp.

-MCPL Marketing and Communications